Wishing for You
Author: nejitenteji10sasu10, alias Kat or Kai
Dedicated to: aniki-sama, alias Joy
Disclaimer: I don't own Prince of Tennis. If I did, Tezuka and Fuji would be together by now.
(-)
1000 paper cranes… they say if you make a thousand, and make them with your heart, you can make a wish – that comes true.
Hmmm… if I made a thousand paper cranes…
I'd wish that…
(-)
Fuji Syusuke was not in the best mood that day, and almost everyone could tell. And this time, even the smile on his face didn't fool them.
Maybe it was by the way his knuckles turned white when he gripped the racket. Or, maybe it was the way the ball almost always went over the line and made it an 'out'. Then again, it could also be the way he didn't even spare anyone else a glance when Tezuka made him run thirty laps around the court for being distracted.
"There's something wrong with Fujiko, nya…" Eiji said, cocking his head at the unusually harsh way Fuji kicked stones out of the way as he jogged.
"You realize it now?" Momo said, watching Fuji. Everyone looked expectantly at their captain.
Kunimitsu Tezuka was one of the few people who was known as one of Fuji's genuine friends, and some people (although they didn't always want to admit it) thought that they were maybe – sorta – kinda togetherish in a way. "What?" Tezuka said coolly to their stares.
"Ask what's wrong with sempai," Ryoma said in a dull tone.
Tezuka sighed.
(-)
After training, Tezuka spotted Fuji waiting for him outside the tennis courts. Which was weird, because everyone had left at least fifteen minutes before he did. When he approached the tensai, he was a bit surprised to see Fuji smiling genuinely at him.
"What is it, Fuji?" Tezuka asked Fuji, as he opened the gate and walked outside. He continued walking, knowing that Fuji would follow him.
He was right.
"Actually, Tezuka, I wanted to…" Fuji sighed. "Apologize for my training earlier."
The stoic captain didn't say whether he even acknowledged Fuij's apology, but instead, asked, "May I ask what happened to cause you to train like that?"
Fuji was silent as they walked together, for an unusually long time. "It's nothing. Just in a bad mood, I guess."
"Ah."
There was another long silence, but the two were comfortable with it. The sun was just about to set, and the orange-y glow made the whole scenery look sort of calm and eerie at the same time.
"I'm glad you decided to return," Fuji said, eventually deciding on a topic.
Tezuka nodded. "Me, too…"
"Everyone missed you."
Tezuka was silent. Something in Fuji's tone made him wonder if there was more to that sentence. "Ah."
The tensai looked at Tezuka, as if searching for something in his face. Tezuka looked back at him in slight amusement. "What?"
Fuji shook his head slowly, as if in disappointment. "Nothing…"
(-)
The next day, at school, Fuji was in the library pouring over the book that his teacher had assigned them to read.
"Fujiko!"
Eiji plopped himself in the seat next to Fuji's, holding a copy of the same book that Fuji was reading. He smiled. (and what was unusual about that?) "Hello, Eiji."
The cat-like regular made a face at the book Fuji's holding. "I can't believe you're actually serious about that assignment, nya!"
Fuji simply smiled, and turned the page. "Failing this class isn't on my agenda," he said, eyes gluing themselves to the pages again. Eiji sighed.
The tensai was, in fact, genuinely interested by what his teacher had assigned them to read: The Different Things That People Did To Make Other People Fall In Love With Them. Well, that wasn't really the title of the chapter – it was 'Customs, Beliefs, And Others', but Fuji believed that his title could also be adapted, after all.
There was one description, however, that didn't satisfy Fuji. "Eiji."
"Hm?"
"What do you know about that one thousand paper cranes thing?" Fuji asked, still reading over and over again the one sentence that had described (if you could call that measly one sentence a description) that stated 'A person who pleases the gods with one thousand paper cranes will be granted a wish.'
Eiji blinked at Fuji's question. "Why are you asking?"
"It's in the book," Fuji explained.
"Really?"
Fuji smiled at Eiji. "Maybe if you actually will do the assignment, you would find it."
"Basically, Fujiko, there's a myth – a legend – or something, that says that if you make a thousand paper cranes with the heart, then you get to make one wish. And it'll come true, nya!"
"Have you tried it, Eiji?"
He noticed that Eiji looked kind of unsettled, but he decided to just keep smiling at Eiji until his classmate would start sharing. "Ah… well, I tried… but it was too tiring, nya…"
"I see, I see," Fuji said simply, and continued reading. But he couldn't help but realize that the paper crane myth was starting to get his attention…
(-)
Fuji was late for training.
Everyone was sort of hoping that Fuji wouldn't even bother showing up. Even if Fuji and Tezuka probably liked each other, they knew that Tezuka didn't show favoritism. At all.
But, to everyone's distress, Fuji arrived… thirty minutes into the training.
"I…" Fuji seemed like he had been running. "I'm sorry I'm… late, Tezuka."
"Fifty laps," was Tezuka's simple reply.
"Hai." Fuji just smiled at him.
The regulars watched as Fuji started to jog, as if he didn't mind that Tezuka had just given him a really tiring punishment.
"So." Tezuka turned to Inui, who had been standing next to him. "Did you find out what was wrong with Fuji?"
Tezuka fixed his gaze on Fuji, who was on his third lap. "Maybe you should try to find out. You're better at getting data."
Inui adjusted his glasses. "You're much closer to him than I am, buchou. You and I both know that."
(-)
After training, Tezuka was disappointed to find out that Fuji had left right after he had dismissed them. He liked walking home with the blue-eyed genius, even though he wouldn't actually admit it to anyone. Sighing, he decided to see if anyone had left anything for him in the Student Council Office. He had nothing better to do, anyway.
When he opened the door, he noticed a few flashes of color on his desk. Confused, he drew nearer. "Paper cranes?" he muttered to himself.
There were ten little paper cranes sitting on his desk, in bright colors of origami paper; pink, light blue, purple, red, orange, yellow, green, lavender and a sparkly silver one. Tezuka picked up each of them. There was no note on his desk explaining the paper cranes, or any other means of communication. He smiled to himself.
He didn't want to unfold the paper cranes, since he didn't exactly know how to fold them back together. He could always ask someone to help him, but then again, he felt bad for the person who had obviously spent so much time making those paper cranes.
(-)
The weeks passed by, and Tezuka received cranes (sometimes just one crane) in irregular patterns. Sometimes, they'd be there every other day. Other times, there was a five day gap between their appearances.
But no matter when they came, Tezuka still had 238 cranes in his room.
And just as he had received the first batch of cranes, there was no note. No evidence whatsoever. Tezuka firmly believed that he could have hired the police to trace evidences, but they wouldn't be successful.
And training was starting to bug him too. It was Fuji. The tensai just didn't seem to show any heart anymore. Like he was giving up. And whenever Tezuka would ask if anything was wrong, Fuji would just reply with that infamous smile of his, and say that 'nothing's wrong. Why should it concern you?'
Sometimes, that bugged him. A lot.
(-)
Fuji smiled to himself. (But then again, when isn't he smiling?) He had managed to make it on time today, and he was planning on walking home with Tezuka.
"Oi, Fuji." Fuji turned and saw that Tezuka was talking to him.
"Yes?" Fuji smiled up at him.
"Have you ever heard of that paper crane myth?"
Now, was it just Tezuka, or did he notice a faint blush on Fuji's cheeks? "Hmmm…" Fuji looked down, as if thinking. "The myth where you supposedly get a wish if you make one thousand paper cranes?"
Tezuka nodded.
"Yes, I've heard of it," Fuji said. "Why are you asking me?"
When Tezuka was silent, Fuji just smiled even wider. "Is someone sending you cranes, Tezuka?"
"Maybe."
"Saa… someone's trying really hard to get that wish, hm?" Fuji smiled at him. "How many have you received?"
"As of my last count… two hundred forty one," Tezuka said. "Fuji, would you answer me honestly?"
"When don't I answer you honestly?" Fuji asked innocently, even though we all know that he isn't.
Tezuka sighed. "Do you know the person who's sending me the paper cranes?" he asked, finally. Fuji was silent.
But then, he broke out into a smile. "Actually, Tezuka… no… it's pretty old-fashioned, if you ask me," he said. "Oh, there's my house!" Fuji smiled at him. "I'll see you tomorrow, Tezuka!"
(-)
But as Fuji stepped inside the house, he closed the door behind his back and slouched down on the floor, hugging his knees, eyes opened. He stared forlornly at his house.
Most things on the shelves had been removed. A few sofas had been sold, and a few sitting chairs. The paintings that Fuji had loved to look at were gone, too.
"Technically, Tezuka," Fuji said under his breath. "I don't just know the person who sends the paper cranes. I am the person who sends them. And it is old-fashioned… but what if I believe in that, anyhow?"
(-)
When Tezuka arrived home, the first thing he did was go up to his room, reach into his bag, and pull out the three paper cranes (one was orange, the other blue, and the last was a light tan color) gently. He was relieved when he saw that none of them were crushed.
He had started to care very much for the person who had folded these paper cranes for him.
Tezuka set them down on his desk, where they accompanied a couple hundred more colorful paper cranes. He sat down and stared at each crane.
Who are you? And why are you making these for me? Tezuka wondered. There's that girl in that one class I have. And there's that girl from the tennis team. And the one from the math club. And the honor student in our class. Tezuka sighed as he realized something. Right. And then there's the entire population of fan girls.
He shook his head. He was never going to figure this out.
(-)
Even as training, competitions, matches and recreational activities pushed through, Tezuka still got crane after crane after crane. He was already on three hundred eighty seven. And Tezuka wasn't as close to finding out who would send him cranes as he was about a month previous.
He rose an eyebrow as Fuji entered the tennis court they had been practicing in. It was becoming a routine now, the way that Fuji was almost always about thirty minutes late to practice, and spent most of practice time running the laps that Tezuka had assigned to him. Then Fuji would either be the first to leave, or wait for Tezuka, so they could walk home together.
"Fujiko! You're late again!" Eiji scolded, as Fuji walked in.
Fuji smiled. "Oh, so it surprises you even now?"
"Fuji…" Tezuka began in an exasperated tone.
"Hai, hai, I know, fifty laps. Don't worry, Tezuka, I got it," Fuji said, smiling.
"No," Tezuka said, unusually stern. "Come here."
Fuji complied.
"I won't let you leave this tennis court – I won't let you move from this spot unless you give me a good reason why you've been so late for the past few months." Tezuka looked at Fuji. It was the only way he could get an explanation out of the blue eyed genius… or so he thought.
Training had finished, and Fuji was still in the same spot, smiling at him as he had been smiling for the past hour, showing no signs of telling Tezuka anything.
"Why aren't you giving me a reason?" Tezuka asked.
"Because there is no good reason why I'm late," Fuji said softly, smiling. "I could tell you a good excuse, though, if you want…"
Tezuka sighed.
The captain went to change, and to his surprise, when he got back, Fuji was still standing in the exact same position as he left him. "Fuji."
"Hm?"
"Go change. I'll walk you home," Tezuka said.
(-)
The walk home was quieter than usual. "Ne, Tezuka, we left the tennis court pretty late, hm?"
"Ah."
Fuji sighed. Sometimes, it was all you could get from Tezuka – a simple 'Ah'.
"Fuji…"
Fuji turned to Tezuka. "Hm?"
"Is there…" the slightly taller boy seemed a bit uncomfortable. "Anything wrong at your house?"
"Mm?" Fuji was shocked at Tezuka's sudden show of concern.
"Is there anything wrong?" Tezuka repeated firmly.
Fuji opened his mouth, as if to answer, then closed it. "Nothing's wrong…" Fuji said. Tezuka knew what he was going to say next. "Why should it concern you?"
Tezuka stopped walking, and placed a firm hand on Fuji's shoulder. "Because…" Tezuka sighed. "Just forget it."
Because I love you… Tezuka gasped at what he had just thought. He had never… not in those three years since he had known Fuji… but… maybe the feeling had always been there?
"Tezuka?"
"Hm?"
"You asked me if anything was wrong at the house, right?" Fuji asked.
"Yes."
"Well… nothing happened at the house," Fuji stressed, being sarcastic. "Oh. Speaking of the house, there it is. Bye, Tezuka!"
As Fuji waved and disappeared into the house, Tezuka mentally kicked himself for falling into this trap in the first place.
(-)
The next morning, Tezuka found a note stuck to his window. A little drawing of a paper crane was in the corner.
No cranes for you today, haha! This is the first and last time I'll contact you, Kunimitsu Tezuka. We're almost there, hm?
Tezuka shook his head in amazement.
(-)
"OCHIBI! OCHIBIOCHIBIOCHIBI!" Eiji all but screamed as he saw Ryoma in the schoolyard.
His dark haired kouhai bowed his head in embarrassment. Should his senpai really be this childish? And in public, too?
"Yes, Eiji-senpai?"
"Nyaa~ have you seen Fujiko? I've been looking for him all this morning, but he's not here!" Eiji exclaimed.
Ryoma shook his head. "No, senpai. I haven't."
Eiji's lips pursed, and he shrugged. As quick as he had been sad, he was happy again. "Maybe he's with someone I don't know about, then," he concluded.
"Oi!" Eiji and Ryoma turned to the direction of the voice, and saw Momo waving at them.
The first year stared at Momo for a long time, and finally said, "Hello, senpai."
Momo smiled at Ryoma and turned to Eiji. "You haven't found out what's wrong with Fuji-senpai, hm?"
Eiji shook his head. "Fujiko seems to be absent today."
"Well…" Momo said, almost sounding reluctant to tell them. "I think I might know what's up with Fuji-senpai."
"What?"
"On the way to school, I passed that place where you get your Visa's and passports and stuff, right? And well… I saw the whole family there."
"He's… leaving?" Ryoma asked.
"Must be that," Momo said, shrugging.
"But… but maybe he'll be going on vacation, nyaaa…" Eiji protested. "Some people aren't as stupid as to ask for a Visa two days before they leave, ne?"
(-)
In his room, Fuji was making the next batch of paper cranes – this batch would have cranes 242 until 262. Twenty cranes. Fuji sighed as he blew a long bang out of his eyes.
He really wanted to get these done before he left Japan.
(-)
Now that Momo had 'discreetly' spread the secret to the regulars that he had seen Fuji getting a Visa, everyone had started to worry.
Supposing their tensai would be leaving them for good?
As the weeks passed by, Fuji was getting absent a whole lot more often – one time, he was absent for four days straight. And that did nothing to encourage everyone that Fuji wasn't planning on moving away.
Tezuka was still getting his paper cranes. He was now on crane number five hundred ninety six. But who could care about a thousand paper cranes when he was in danger of losing Fuji?
(-)
-knock knock-
It was Fuji Yuuta who had opened the door when Tezuka knocked. "Ah… Tezuka-san.." he said, raising an eyebrow.
"Is Fuji home?"
Yuuta shook his head. "He went to the park. Taking pictures, I guess…" Yuuta shrugged, leaving the statement unfinished.
Tezuka nodded. "Thank you."
When Tezuka left, Yuuta breathed out a sigh of relief. He remembered clearly what Fuji had told him a few weeks ago:
Should any of the Seigaku regulars look for me, do not let them in the house.
(-)
The tall, stoic captain found himself amused as he watched Fuji from afar, crawling around in grass, and even hanging upside down a tree branch, just to get the perfect shot. Tezuka drew nearer, about five feet away from the light brown haired tensai, and was silent.
"How long are you going to keep standing there, ne, Tezuka?" he heard Fuji say.
Tezuka narrowed his eyes at Fuji's back. How did you know I was there?
Fuji turned around to smile at Tezuka, precious camera in his hands. "Your foot steps are pretty loud."
"Why are you avoiding us?" Tezuka asked, point blank. Fuji simply continued smiling at him, then turned around to snap a random object.
"Am I avoiding you?" Fuji's back was turned, but Tezuka could already see Fuji's seemingly innocent smile, even though he knew that Tezuka knew that Fuji was not as innocent as people thought him to be.
"You're almost always absent-"
"Quite true," Fuji agreed, nodding as his camera captured a flock of birds in flight.
Tezuka sighed. "You're late for practices-"
"And I always do the assigned laps and or punishment you tell me to do," Fuji said in a matter-of-factly voice, still not looking at Tezuka.
"That's not the point-" Tezuka started, but thought better, "And when you're there, you're always the first to leave-"
"I've had a newfound fear of walking in the sunset."
Tezuka shook his head at the obvious lie, but went on. "And when others ask you what's wrong, you never give us a straight answer!"
Fuji turned around and looked at Tezuka, eyes open. "Well. Here's a straight answer for you: I've been helping Yuuta."
Tezuka was a bit startled. He never thought that Fuji would actually answer. "Is Yuuta okay?"
"Quite fine," Fuji said seriously.
"Ah."
"Is there anything else you wanted to ask me?" Fuji asked, as he brushed past Tezuka. "It's almost sunset, you know."
"You're not going to fool me with that, Fuji," Tezuka said, exasperated.
Fuji turned around and smiled at him.
"Yudan sezu ni iko," Tezuka said simply. Fuji nodded happily.
"When don't I?"
(-)
Tezuka went home, still strangely unconvinced of Fuji's 'straight answer'. He found a strange sight waiting for him on the front door.
About thirty paper cranes arranged on the floor before the door were waiting for him, in colors from white to periwinkle. Tezuka sighed. This person is persistent. This makes the paper crane count up to six hundred.
I wonder what will happen at the thousandth crane?
(-)
In a few months, however, Tezuka had made it to eight hundred paper cranes. "Whoever you are," Tezuka muttered to himself as he found a couple in his locker, "You are sure on a deadline."
(-)
3 a.m, Fuji household
Yumiko woke up to find a dim light coming from the crack in Fuji's door. "Oy, Syusuke, what-" she blinked in surprise when she saw her brother surrounded by paper cranes, on the floor, in his bed, on the desk. "What is going on?"
"Saa… onee-chan, seems that you've found my… my…" Fuji yawned. "My paper cranes…"
"Why are you doing this, hm?" Yumiko asked, going closer to her brother. She took another look at the numerous paper cranes, and a light bulb flickered above her head. "Are you making a thousand cranes for someone?" she asked, putting a hand on Fuji's shoulder, watching as Fuji perfectly folded a light green paper crane, and added it to the bed.
"Mm-hm," Fuji said, and reached for a red piece of origami paper. "I want to give all one thousand before…" he turned to his sister, his crystal blue eyes shining through the dim light.
Yumiko nodded, understanding. She walked out the door, and looked at Fuji's hunching back. "You should get some sleep."
"No…" Fuji yawned. "Just twenty more, onee-chan," he said, and she saw him fold a tangerine-ish colored one.
"Alright, then…" Yumiko said uncertainly, as she closed the door.
(-)
Fuji surprised everyone the next day by being absent in school – but being the first to show up for tennis practice.
"Nya, Fujiko, I was worried about you!" Eiji said, pouting.
"Fuji-senpai should tell us the next time he decides to drop off the face of the earth," Ryoma grumbled. Fuji just smiled.
Tezuka rose an eyebrow at Fuji. "You're early."
"I had nothing to do," Fuji said simply, smiling.
Just then, Ryuzaki-sensei came in, smiling a bit evilly. "Get warmed up. Then I have a special practice for you guys."
(-)
"Practice matches?" Kawamura asked, cocking his head. "What's special about that?"
"What's 'special' is that who you will be going against will be random. Who you're partnered with will also be random. You just have to win the best out of three matches. Each of you will play one singles, one doubles. Who knows. Maybe a doubles player there can actually be a great singles player."
"And we're an odd number of players, right? So the last one called just… won't join. That's it."
"And one other rule…" Ryuzaki stared at each of them while she raised the suspense. "No techniques."
Wide eyes, closed eyes, squinted eyes, narrowed eyes, and normal eyes stared back at her in shock. "Wha… What?" Kaidoh sputtered out. "Fshuuuu…"
"If you win a singles match, you'll win it with your hardcore talent, not those special techniques that draw the tennis ball to you," she looked at Tezuka, "Or make it seem like there are two of you," she glared at Eiji. "Right. So let's start…"
Ryuzaki pulled out a little box and pulled out two slips of paper.
"May the gods help whoever goes against Echizen," Momo whispered sarcastically to Oishi.
"First match: Echizen vs. Momoshiro"
The vice captain smirked. "Yes, may the gods help you, Momo…"
It was no question; Echizen won a flat three matches, leaving Momo disgruntled. The other winners were Eiji (who played against Kawamura), Tezuka (who played against Inui), and Fuji (who went against Kaidoh). Oishi didn't end up playing, and he was a bit pleased with that.
"Right, so we start with the doubles…" Ryuzaki muttered to herself. She withdrew two slips of paper. "Right… Oishi and Momo…" she fished around for another two pieces of paper, "Against Echizen and Inui."
Not surprising anyone, Echizen (and Inui) won.
"Unfair…" a disgruntled Momo muttered as he went off the court. "I got my butt kicked by Echizen… hard… and twice, too…" Echizen merely smiled.
"Last match." Ryuzaki pulled out the first two names. "Kikumaru and Kaidoh… versus…"
Fuji's breath caught in his throat. Will I get paired with Tezuka?
Tezuka was thinking the same thing, but still looking serious on the outside.
"Fuji and Tezuka."
"Fshuuuuu…" Kaidoh hissed from the other side of the court. "Can I just forfeit now?"
"Nyaa… don't worry, Kaidoh!" Eiji said, smiling cutely. "I think we'll at least win one match out of three."
"Well, that makes me feel better," Kaidoh mumbled.
"Ne, ne," Kawamura said thoughtfully. "It's like… the Opposite Pair, you know, how Eiji seems to be happy about everything and so nice and good and innocent while Viper looks like evil in its' purest form…"
"Fshuuuu…" Kaidoh said dangerously.
Fuji smiled at them, overhearing the conversation, "I see… he's right…"
"And they're going against the Perfect Pair!"
Both the tensai and the buchou's ears perked up at that.
"Perfect… Pair…?" Echizen said slowly.
"Both of them are probably perfect in tennis," Momo said, agreeing with Kawamura. "And…" he sent a teasing glare towards the 'Perfect Pair', "It's like they complete each other."
"I don't see how completing each other makes us a perfect pair, Momo," Fuji said, still smiling. Momo started to sense danger in Fuji's words, and backed away immediately.
"No, no, forget I ever said that, Fuji-senpai," Momo said hastily.
"Why don't you explain to me what you meant?" Fuji said, smiling at Momo. "Maybe I'll understand what you're talking about."
By now, Fuji's deadly aura had formed, despite his innocent looking smile, and Kawamura regretted ever bringing up the subject in the first place.
"Enough of that," Ryuzaki said, rolling her eyes. "Let's start the first match."
"Ne, Tezuka," Fuji said, without turning towards his brown-haired pair. "Let's let Kaidoh and Eiji win the first match. It might please them."
Tezuka shook his head at the suggestion, but let them win anyway. Well… at least for the first match. Both of them went all out in the next two rounds though, winning them without a scratch.
"See, Kaidoh?" Eiji had said. "I told you we'd probably win the first match, nyaaa~"
"That's because they were barely moving during the first match," Kaidoh pointed out. "Fshuuuu…"
(-)
Tezuka and Fuji were walking home again. "And I thought you were a horrible doubles player," Fuji teased Tezuka.
"I thought so, too," Tezuka muttered. "I don't like playing doubles."
"Why?"
Tezuka shrugged.
"I like playing doubles with you, though," Fuji said, as if he were discussing the weather. "Maybe what Kawamura and Momo were talking about earlier was right – maybe we are the perfect pair…"
At that, Tezuka was sure that his ears (or at least some part of his face) had turned red, and he turned away. "Ah."
When Tezuka had looked at Fuji again, he saw that Fuji was smiling… but this time, it was one of those rare, genuine smiles, one that Tezuka, and only Tezuka saw. "There's something important I'd like to tell you," Fuji said slowly. "But I don't think you'll like it."
Tezuka rose an eyebrow. "What?"
"I won't tell you," Fuji said simply, smiling up at him. "Because I'm sure you won't like what I'll tell you, Tezuka. Oh, there's my house," Fuji said.
"The worst news sounds better if you say it," Tezuka said so softly, and he thought that Fuji didn't hear it as he walked away.
But he did.
(-)
"Oh, Tezuka?" Tezuka's mom called to him. "Someone left a package for you earlier this morning… I dropped it in your room, if you don't mind."
Tezuka said a hurried 'thanks' to his mom, already knowing what was in the bag. He only hoped that his mother hadn't literally dropped the package, damaging what was inside.
He had expected, at the most, at least thirty paper cranes. Maybe thirty five.
He had not expected, however, exactly 197 paper cranes in a bag, with a square piece of paper at the bottom of it.
Ne, Tezuka…
I have to admit something… I'm on a really tight schedule. I was hoping to finish the one thousand paper cranes in a span of seven months – looks like it worked, hm? So… you have nine hundred ninety nine cranes in your room now… I want to give you the last crane personally. But I won't tell you when I give it to you. I'll surprise you – I hope.
Oh, and when I told you it'd be the first and last time I'd contact you? You know, that other note. I was lying. Heeee..
Tezuka shook his head. Who are you? He questioned himself. He ran through the thousands of girls he had met or known… but Tezuka wasn't capable of imagining any of those girls making a thousand paper cranes.
Fuji.
He shook his head. Nah… couldn't be.
Or… was it?
(-)
Fuji was absent at school again, but it was Eiji that Tezuka was looking for when he went to their classroom during break.
"Buchou?" Eiji looked confused. "Is something wrong?"
Tezuka shook his head. "Just wanted to ask you something," he said, choosing his words carefully. If Eiji had been given the answer to the Question of Life and been sworn to secrecy, anyone, if asking the right questions, would probably get it out of him. "Do you know anyone who's been making paper cranes?"
"Paper cranes…?" Eiji repeated. He shook his head. "No…"
Disappointed, Tezuka nodded. "Ah." But he needed to ask one more question. "What do you know about the 1000 paper cranes myth?"
"If you make a thousand paper cranes with the heart, nya… you get one wish," the cat-like regular said slowly. "You know… someone else asked me that question a long time ago, nya…!"
This is it, Tezuka thought. Questioning Eiji was like questioning a child. "Who?"
"Fujiko," Eiji said simply. "Although, it was for an assignment, and I didn't think he liked what the book said, nya."
"Ah." Tezuka merely replied. "Thank you, Eiji."
But inside, his heart was racing.
(-)
Tezuka was the first one in the tennis court. Or so he thought.
The moment he got in, he was blinded by a flash of light, accompanied by a familiar 'click'. When the spots in his eyes had faded, he looked for the source of the flash, and saw Fuji, hidden, with a camera. Smiling, he leapt from his hiding place. "Sorry about that, Tezuka," he said. "Just wanted to take casual picture of all the regulars today."
"Why were you absent today?" Tezuka asked, ignoring Fuji's idle chatter.
"It's kind of hard to explain," Fuji said.
Tezuka resisted the urge to strangle the answers out of Fuji, and instead tried deep breathing.
"Are you hyperventilating, Tezuka?" Fuji said. "I have a paper bag right here…"
"You know what?" Tezuka said, in a less-than-harsh voice, but still a little harsh. "I'm tired of all the empty reasons you give us! Are you hiding something from us, Fuji? What aren't you telling us? Did you murder someone and had to do community service," Tezuka was well aware that the person in front of him, could very well be capable of murder, "Or is it something else?"
With each word Tezuka said, the smile on Fuji's face began to fade, until there was nothing but a straight line left. It wasn't angry, it was just… expressionless. "You told me that… the worst news would sound better if I said it," Fuji said. "You'll take back your words. Believe me."
Tezuka reached out a hand and put it on Fuji's shoulder. Both of them stiffened. This kind of contact was unusual. But nice. "Tell me," Tezuka commanded.
"I…"
"Nya, Fujiko, you're here again!" Eiji and the rest of the regulars had just entered the tennis court, seemingly unaware of the tense atmosphere.
Fuji was smiling again, and in one step, he had freed himself from Tezuka's grasp. "Saa… school is seeming much less important to me nowadays," he said.
The regulars were gradually crowding around Fuji, and Tezuka found himself in the back. What were you going to tell me, Fuji? And why do I have the feeling that I don't want to know?
"I have great news for you guys," Fuji said. Tezuka's ears perked at that.
Perhaps Fuji's news wasn't bad?
"Yuuta received a scholarship for a really elite school," Fuji said, still smiling. Tezuka, of course, interpreted this as what Fuji had meant by 'helping Yuuta'.
"Well, tell him congrats from me, then," Tezuka heard Momo say.
"Yeah, yeah," Eiji was bouncing up and down. "I knew Yuuta was gonna go places, nya!"
"Where will Yuuta be going?" Echizen asked.
At that, Fuji was eerily silent.
"Fujiko?" Eiji poked Fuji in the shoulder. "What's wrong?"
"Yuuta received a scholarship in tennis… from the states."
"Ah," Inui said, scribbling that in his notebook. "How interesting."
"Why didn't you get the scholarship, Fuji?" Kawamura asked, merely curious.
"Saa… I turned it down." Fuji smiled at them, as if it was every day that he received scholarships from other countries. Knowing him, it could be possible. "They offered it to me, first, but I declined because I wanted to finish off here, in Japan…"
"Well, that's good Fujiko," Eiji said. "Although you didn't have to turn them down…"
Tezuka breathed a sigh of relief. So it was Yuuta who would be going. Not Fuji. And he had to disagree with Eiji, though… Fuji HAD to turn them down.
"But it seems my plan backfired," Fuji said in the same tone he had been using… slightly cheerful, happy, and maybe even a bit proud of his brother. "You see, now I have to go with my family. We're all going."
No. Tezuka's eyebrows met at the center of his face, and he glared at Fuji. No.
Fuji's blue eyes stared back at Tezuka. His eyes were telling Tezuka, 'see? Told you so. Bad news doesn't always come good from me.'
"B-B-B-But Fujiko can't leave!" Eiji's lips trembled, and he hugged Fuji tightly. Fuji just hugged Eiji back, and smiled.
"Senpai… you're coming back soon, right?" Echizen asked. "I mean… you're not staying there forever?"
"Maybe not forever, Echizen," Fuji said gently. "But for a very long time." He smiled.
"You can't leave." Everyone was startled at the uncharacteristic growl that came out of Tezuka's mouth. "You didn't ask if it was okay with me if you left," Tezuka continued talking in his serious voice.
Fuji stared at Tezuka for a long time, and just smiled at him.
"No one asked me if it was okay if we left," Fuji said softly. "So we're equal."
"Ne, when are you leaving, senpai?" Kaidoh asked. "Fshuuuu."
"Saa…" Fuji smiled at Kaidoh. "The day after tomorrow."
"What?" Kawamura exclaimed. "How is that fair for us?"
"So, now you all know why I've been absent for the past seven months. We were packing up the house, getting Yuuta's requirements ready, and waiting and applying for Visa's…"
And then, Eiji started bawling, then Fuji went to hug him (which was unusual, that almost always happens the other way around) then everyone just sort of clumped together in a form of a group hug.
(-)
While the other regulars decided to plan for a going away party for Fuji, Tezuka went back to the student council office. It wasn't like he was looking for the last paper crane; he had left something there, and he wanted to get it.
As he walked to his desk, he wondered if he'd find the last paper crane. He shook his head. I'll receive it in person.
Tezuka leaned down to get the notebook he had dropped on the floor, when he felt a presence.
"So, now I have to ask permission from you if I want to leave?"
Heart beating, Tezuka turned around to see Fuji leaning causally against the doorway, arms crossed, but smiling at him. Tezuka replied as normally as he would, saying, "I won't have time to find you a replacement now."
"Tennis. It always ends up to tennis." Tezuka couldn't tell, but he thought that Fuji sounded a bit annoyed. "Is that all you think about?"
"No."
Fuji, surprised, looked closely at Tezuka. That look in his eyes… Fuji blinked, and shook the feeling. Yeah right. Like Tezuka would feel even half of half of the feelings that I feel for him.
"Why are you here, Fuji?" Tezuka asked the smaller boy, not moving from his place near his desk.
"Is there anything wrong with me being here?" Fuji smiled. "I have rights, you know."
Tezuka almost rolled his eyes. "I was wondering if you'd have anything to tell me."
"I wanted to give you something, actually," Fuji said, a bit happily, and walked over to Tezuka's desk.
He reached for Tezuka's hands, and held both of his hands in his. Déjà vu, Tezuka thought, trying not to blush as he thought about that moment during their first year. "Saa… Tezuka, I wanted to thank you… for being my friend," Fuji said, staring up at Tezuka with those brilliant blue eyes.
"Ah." Tezuka couldn't drag his eyes away from Fuji's. They were just so… so blue. Come to think about it, he lost his breath the first time he saw those eyes open. It was one of the things he loved- Huh? Tezuka shook his head, as if trying to clear his thoughts.
Fuji looked at him innocently. "Is something wrong, Tezuka?" he asked, knowing perfectly well that he was making his buchou very uncomfortable.
"Nothing," Tezuka said hastily. Fuji drew his hands away, and Tezuka felt something in his hands. Something that was… made of paper?
He opened his hands and saw a paper crane laying on it, one made out of a cerulean blue color. It matched – exactly – the color of Fuji's eyes. "I knew it," Tezuka muttered.
"Was I really that obvious?" Fuji said, eyebrows creasing.
"Knowing you, you probably did it on purpose," Tezuka said, looking at the genius he had probably fallen in love with. Who am I trying to fool? I did fall in love. When I fell for him, exactly, is unknown. Maybe it could've been since I first saw him.
At that, Fuji smiled innocently at Tezuka.
There was a silence between them – not an awkward silence, really. Both of them were just staring at each other, wondering what would come next.
"I know about the paper crane myth," Tezuka said, eyes never leaving Fuji's. "You get a wish if you make a thousand. So… what was your wish, Fuji?"
Tezuka didn't know it, but his gaze (which was becoming more deep than he had realized) was starting to make Fuji's heart beat faster. The way he's just glaring at me… Fuji felt a little shiver up his spine. "N-Ne," Fuji said, his tongue feeling like lead for a little. "I wished that…" Fuji took a deep breath. "The person I loved would tell me that he or she loved me too." He cotninued smiling.
"Ah," Tezuka said. "He or she, hm?"
Fuji blushed – and Tezuka caught him. "I-"
"Who were you talking about?" Tezuka asked.
"Eto…" Fuji continued smiling at Tezuka, althought Tezuka could see that it was strained. "I have to go now, onee-chan probably…" he left the statement unfinished and turned around to walk towards the door.
Before Fuji could reach the door, he felt Tezuka grab his wrist. "Were you talking about me?"
Fuji's breath caught in his throat. This is the second plan that hasn't gone my way. I was planning on doing that to Tezuka. Tsk.
Before he knew it, Tezuka whirled Fuji around so that he had both hands on Fuji's arms, and the genius' back was leaning against the wall. Fuji cursed inwardly. "Were you?"
"Well…" Maybe Fuji could make this situation turn out the way he wanted it to. "There's only one way to find out," he said simply, smiling at Tezuka.
"Hn?" Tezuka raised an eyebrow.
"Just… stand still," Fuji insisted, opening his eyes, and leaving Tezuka short of breath again.
"Why would I-"
Tezuka's mind went blank when Fuji bunched his fists around Tezuka's collar, pulled him down, and kissed him.
Whoa. Two minds thought exactly the same thing the same time that their lips touched.
Minutes, seconds, hours, neither could tell how long they had been standing there together, embracing and kissing each other. Finally, it was Tezuka who leaned back, still panting from the lack of air.
"Minty." Fuji said, smiling up at Tezuka. The latter rose a single eyebrow.
"Excuse me?"
"You taste minty," Fuji said. He smiled, a genuine smile this time. "It's actually a pretty good taste on you. Somehow, I always knew you'd taste like mint."
Tezuka coughed. He still wasn't used to this. Fuji just smiled at Tezuka, grabbed Tezuka's hand, and led him out the door.
"Ne, Tezuka… what do I taste like?"
"Apple." Tezuka said it in the same stoic tone he usually used. "You taste like apple."
(-)
"Saa… you're all here," Fuji said in surprise as the rest of the regulars had arrived in the airport the same time Fuji had.
"We wanted to see you off, Fuji," Oishi said, smiling. "I mean, the party was fun, but we never got to say goodbye properly."
Fuji smiled at them. Inside, he was really surprised. He had expected Tezuka to be here – it was Tezuka who had asked if it was okay if he met Fuji at the airport, anyway. But Fuji didn't expect everybody else to be there.
"Ne, ne, Fujiko," Eiji said, bouncing up and down, despite the fact that he was sad to see his friend leave. "You have to come back every other month, nyaaa~"
"That's not possible. Fshuuuu," Kaidoh said.
"Maybe next year," Fuji said, smiling at Kaidoh and Eiji.
Fuji was wearing Echizen Ryoma's infamous cap – Echizen had let him borrow it last night, and he had forgot to return it. He took it off of his head, and handed it to him. "Echizen, you've got a long ways to go. Keep it up, okay?"
Everyone hugged Fuji for the last time, and when it was Tezuka's turn, the latter had just stared at Fuji.
The regulars now knew that there was something official-ish about Fuji and Tezuka's relationship. So by now, everyone was curious how the two would say good bye to each other. Inui had his notebook ready, waiting to pen in each dialogue they said.
"Tezuka…" Fuji said, smiling at him genuinely. "When I come back, you better still taste like mint, hm?"
Echizen was closest to the duo, and he choked a bit.
"One last chance, Fuji," Tezuka said, ignoring Fuji's comment. "You can run for it." There was a little hint of a smile on his face. "We'll hold back your family if they start chasing you."
"I'll have to decline that," Fuji said, even though he knew Tezuka was joking.
The two of them were silent, and it was as if all the regulars weren't watching them curiously, Inui's pen racing across paper.
Tezuka coughed. "I'll miss you."
Fuji brightened up immediately. "Awww, that's so sweet!" He laughed. "I'll miss you, too."
"Ah."
A few seconds passed, and Tezuka realized that somehow, Fuji had snaked his hand into his own. But he let it pass. He liked it, actually.
There was a genuine smile on Fuji's face, and suddenly – in front of everyone in the airport, his family, and all the regulars, he stood up and kissed Tezuka. It was short, and sweet, and it only lasted about two seconds.
There was a silence among the group.
Inui's pen just kept zooming back and forth among the paper.
Tezuka was sure that his ears were red. "Fuji…"
Fuji looked at his watch. "Oh, our flight's gonna board in twenty minutes. We still have to check in," he explained. At those words, Eiji burst into tears.
"Y-You're really… (sniff) leaving! N-Nyaaa!"
"Eiji," Fuji said in a comforting tone. He walked over and hugged Eiji again. He smiled. "I'm coming back…" he reassured.
Everyone said their last goodbyes, and Fuji gave Tezuka one really big hug. He whispered in Tezuka's ear, "Ne, I forgot, you really ought to open up the paper cranes I made you. There's a little something else inside." He smiled. "Goodbye, Tezuka."
Tezuka watched as Fuji leaned back. "Bye, Fuji," Tezuka said softly. Fuji gave him a smile, and walked away to return to his family.
A few steps before he reached them, though, he stopped, as if forgetting something. He turned around, and all the regulars could see Fuji's opened eyes, even from where they were standing.
"Tezuka!" a genuine smile graced Fuji's features. "Aishiteru!"
Tezuka smiled – adding to those rare occurences when he actually smiled, and waved back. "Aishteru," he called out.
(-)
Tezuka walked slowly up the stairs to his room, a bit gloomy. He probably wouldn't be seeing Fuji for the next three-hundred and sixty five days, or maybe even more. As he entered his room, a flash of colors caught his eye. The cranes…
Fuji's words came flooding back to him, and he crossed the room over to his desk, where each paper crane was in a neat row, in chronological order. He was feeling a bit curious. What could possibly be in these cranes?
He reached for crane number one, and slowly unfolded it. Fuji's slanted, almost girlish handwriting greeted him.
-Tezuka
I knew you'd probably arrange these in order, so… let me start with the
NINE HUNDRED AND NINETY NINE REASONS WHY I LOVE HIM
Reason 1:
He makes me smile.
Tezuka's breath caught in his throat. So the rest of these cranes held a reason why Fuji loved him? He reached for the second one.
Reason 2:
He's a good captain.
He had to smile at that one. Fuji had the nerve to write that, after all the laps he made him do. But then again, this was reason number two. He probably wrote this waaaay before Tezuka had given him all those laps.
Reason 3:
His glasses make him look sexy – in a nerdy, bookish sort of way.
Tezuka choked down a chuckle at that one; sexy? As he read through each and every crane, he found that Fuji loved him VERY much. Among the nine hundred and ninety nine cranes, he had favorites…
Reason 11:
He rocks my world!
Reason 29:
It's so fun imagining us kissing, haha!
Reason 74:
He takes good care of Echizen. Although it makes me jealous, it's cute to see him act like a coach slash daddy.
Reason 153:
Everyday, he just looks like he came out of a fashion magazine – clean.
Reason 192:
He plays REALLY GOOD TENNIS. (surprised that I just thought of that now?)
Reason 262:
I love his handwriting. It's very manly.
Reason 333:
He has great abs. And biceps. And triceps. And other muscles.
Reason 398:
Even though he smiles only rarely, it just makes the day seem brighter.
Reason 401:
I liked the way his hands felt when I held them back in first year.
Reason 589:
He helps me improve my game.
Reason 637:
I feel as though I can climb to any height with him.
Reason 771:
The color of his eyes looks like my favorite kind of chocolate.
Reason 778:
I feel head over heels every time we walk together going home after practice.
Reason 841:
I like the tingle I feel when I listen to love songs and think about him.
Reason 923:
He has an answer to (almost) anything.
Reason 954:
I like it when he's near me…
Reason 999:
Well… he's Tezuka. And just being 'Tezuka'… Just being there for me… That is the NUMBER ONE REASON why I love him.
Tezuka sighed as he looked at the last one. Fuji… And then, there was still the one thousandth crane. Wondering what he would find, he unfolded the last paper crane (the one that had the same shade as Fuji's eyes) and read what was left.
I know I already mentioned the 999 reasons, but well… there's one other thing I wanted to add, Tezuka…
Se aga pó, Aku cinta kamu, mahal kita, te amo, ti amo, je t'aime, ich liebe dich, saranghaeyo, aishiteru.
I love you, Tezuka.
(-)
Hope you enjoyed it.
And oh, by the way… it's a two shot. Just click on the button… since the next 'chapter' is the epilogue.
Ja~